The Yasuda Kinen (English: Yasuda Memorial, Japanese and Chinese language: 安田記念) is a Japanese
International Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at the
Tokyo Racecourse
is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750.
Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) r ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
. Raced annually each June, the Yasuda Kinen is run at a distance of eight furlongs (one mile) on
turf and is open to horses three years of age and up. The event was first run in 1951 as the Yasuda Sho in honor of
Izaemon Yasuda, the founding chairman of the
Japan Racing Association. Following the death of Mr. Yasuda, in 1958 the race name was changed to the Yasuda Kinen.
In 1984 the race was promoted to Grade 1 status and in 1993 it was granted International Grade 1 status. In 2005, the race became the final leg of the
Asian Mile Challenge. In addition to the US$1 million first place purse, another US$1 million bonus is given to any horse who wins two legs of the four-race Asian Mile Challenge.
Past winners of the Yasuda Kinen include
Oguri Cap
Oguri Cap ( Japanese : オグリキャップ, 27 March 1985 – 3 July 2010) was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, sired by Dancing Cap. Oguri Cap was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1991.
Racing career
In May 198 ...
and
Taiki Shuttle
Taiki Shuttle (, foaled March 23, 1994; died August 17, 2022) was an American-bred, Japanese-trained thoroughbred race horse and stallion. He won races at the highest level both home and abroad, most notably winning the Mile Championship (twice ...
, both
Horse of the Year honorees in Japan in 1990 and 1998 respectively. As well, the race has been won by international horses such as the
Godolphin 1995 winner
Heart Lake, and
Fairy King Prawn
Fairy King Prawn (Chinese 靚蝦王: foaled 13 October 1995) was an Australian-bred, Hong Kong-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After being sold and exported to Hong Kong as a yearling he became one of the most successful and popular horses in h ...
who in 2000 became the first
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
-trained horse to ever win a Grade I race outside of Hong Kong. In 2006 another Hong Kong-owned champion,
Bullish Luck
Bullish Luck ({{zh, c=牛精福星) (foaled 1999) is a Hong Kong based Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, he is the son of the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Royal Academy and out of the Alysheba mare Wild Vintage. He was sold by hi ...
, won the race and earned the Asian Mile Challenge bonus money for winning both the Yasuda Kinen and the
Champions Mile
The Champions Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Sha Tin Racecourse with the total purse of HK$14m in 2014/15, appro ...
in Hong Kong.
Winners since 1984
Earlier winners
* 1951 - Issei
* 1952 - Swee Sue
* 1953 - Swee Sue
* 1954 - Fuso
* 1955 - Kuri Chikara
* 1956 - Yoshifusa
* 1957 - Hekiraku
* 1958 - Rhapsody
* 1959 - Hishi Masaru
* 1960 - Onward Bell
* 1961 - Homareboshi
* 1962 - Tokon
* 1963 - Yamano O
* 1964 - Shimofusa Homare
* 1965 - Panasonic
* 1966 - Hishi Masahide
* 1967 - Buchan
* 1968 - Shesquay
* 1969 - Hard Way
* 1970 - Mejiro Asama
* 1971 - Harbor Game
* 1972 - Rafale
* 1973 - Haku Hosho
* 1974 - Kyoei Green
* 1975 - Sakura Iwai
* 1976 - Nishiki Ace
* 1977 - Squash Tholon
* 1978 - Nippo King
* 1979 - Royal Shinzan
* 1980 - Blue Hallez
* 1981 - Takeden
* 1982 - Sweet Native
* 1983 - Kiyo Hidaka
See also
*
Horse racing in Japan
*
List of Japanese flat horse races
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of ...
:
**, , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , ,
External links
Horse Racing in Japan
{{Japanese Grade I horse races
Open mile category horse races
Horse races in Japan
Turf races in Japan